Government shutdown: What's open, closed in New Hampshire

Government shutdown: What's open, closed in New Hampshire

The partial shutdown of the federal government officially took effect Tuesday. How will it affect New Hampshire?

So, how does the shutdown affect New Hampshire?

Up to 450 National Guard employees in New Hampshire experienced pay cuts initially, but nearly all of the furloughed workers were called back to service on the seventh day of the shutdown, Oct. 7.

Of the 4,600 civilian employees at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, approximately 1,520 workers will be furloughed. Officials from the shipyard said the furloughs "place significant additional hardships" on their workforce.

Additionally, civilian employees who support excepted activities, which include military operations and emergency services, would be directed to continue working. Excepted civilian employees would be paid retroactively once the shutdown ends, shipyard officials said.

National parks across the country are closed. At the White Mountains National Forest, federal welcome and ranger stations will be closed, but there is no admission gate, so visitors will still be able to enter and drive through the park. There are private and state visitor centers that will still offer maps and guidance. National Forest campgrounds in the park are also open, because they're operated by a vendor.

Also, 21 campgrounds in White Mountains National Forest will be forced to close during the shutdown, while another 165 will remain open.

Congressional offices in New Hampshire will be closed while the government is shut down.

Members of Congress, however, will receive pay during the shutdown. Kelly Ayotte and Jeanne Shaheen announced they would donate their salary to charity while the government is shut down.

Included in the list of historical sites closed due to the shutdown is the home and studios of revered sculptor Auguste Saint-Gaudens in Cornish.

The government shutdown is expected to cause significant delays in issuing passports.

All federal judicial buildings in New Hampshire will remain open for at least 10 days during the shutdown.

U.S. Attorney John Kacavas said 19 of 43 employees at the U.S. Attorney's Office have been furloughed.

Manchester-Boston Regional Airport will remain open, as air traffic controllers are considered essential personnel. The vast majority of TSA workers will also continue working through the shutdown.

Mail will continue to be delivered during the shutdown, and post offices will remain open.

Because Social Security funding is mandatory by law, benefit checks will continue to be delivered.

Health care benefits through Medicare are also safe from the shutdown.

While talks surrounding the government shutdown centered on the Affordable Care Act, the new health care reform law will begin its next phase of implementation while the government is shut down.

Unemployment benefits will continue during the shutdown.

Dover Children's Center, which primarily serves low income families and single parents, lost its federal reimbursement for the meals it serves to its kids at the beginning of the shutdown. The federal program later announced it will reimburse the center once the shutdown ends.

The governor's office said the National Guard will be hit hard, without money to pay its technicians or utility bills.

And the confusion may just be starting.

"There was very little planning on this," said Debbie Jennings of the engineers union. "We weren't given any information ahead of time, so it was all last-minute. Who was furloughed and who is not still isn't clear, so there's a lot of stress and anxiety."

At its core, the shutdown is a battle over the federal health care law, but the inability in Washington to find common ground and keep people working overshadows that debate, and many said they believe the wrong people are being sent home.

"If they can't get along with each other, let's just cut out Washington and get rid of them all and start over again," said Bob Blais, of Manchester.

"Our government has never been more divided than it is now, and in 2014, we just sweep theem all out of office and let's start anew," said Tom O'Reily, of Manchester.

In an effort to keep people on the job, Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Kelly Ayotte sent a letter to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel stressing that the missions at the shipyard and the refueling wing at Pease are vital to national security.

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